A pet sitting contract is the document that decides who pays when something goes wrong — and almost every sitter who skips one eventually meets the situation it was designed for. At minimum, a pet sitting contract should cover the parties and services, how bookings and payment work, a cancellation and no-show policy, home access and keys, written authorization for emergency vet care with a spending cap, liability, photo consent, how the agreement ends, and signatures with an emergency contact.
Here's what each clause does, and the traps to avoid when writing yours.
Why a contract matters more for sitters than most service businesses
You hold a key to someone's home, you're there alone, and you're responsible for a living animal whose owner may be on a plane. If a dog swallows something toxic at 11 PM and you can't reach the owner, the contract is what tells you whether you can act, up to what dollar amount, and who reimburses you. Without it, you're either freezing or improvising — and both are worse than a signature you collected at the meet and greet.
The 9 clauses that matter
- Parties and services. Legal names, the pets covered (name each one — "the owner's pets" invites disputes in multi-pet homes), and exactly which services the agreement covers.
- Bookings and payment. How bookings are requested and confirmed, when payment is due, and what happens with returned payment fees.
- Cancellation and no-show policy. A deadline (for example, 48 hours) and a fee. This is also your no-show protection — the same policy that protects your calendar protects your income.
- Home access and keys. How keys, codes, and alarms are stored and returned, and what happens if the owner gets locked out mid-sit.
- Emergency vet authorization. Written permission to seek care, a spending cap, and who pays. Get the regular vet's details and the nearest emergency clinic in writing — this is the clause that lets you act at 11 p.m. instead of freeze.
- Liability and release. See below — this is the clause people get wrong.
- Photo and marketing consent. If you post visit photos on your business page, get it in writing.
- Term and termination. How either side ends the relationship, and what happens to bookings already on the calendar.
- Signatures and emergency contact. A secondary contact who can make decisions if the owner is unreachable.
The liability clause: specific beats sweeping
A good liability section sets out what you are and aren't responsible for: injuries caused by undisclosed behavior or pre-existing conditions, property damage caused by the pet, and the limits of your responsibility when you follow the written care plan in good faith.
The trap is copying a blanket "not liable for anything" clause from the internet. Over-broad disclaimers can be unenforceable in consumer contexts, and they vary by state. Plain, specific language — "the sitter acts with reasonable care and is not liable for pre-existing conditions or behavior the owner did not disclose" — holds up better than dense legalese. If you carry insurance, say so in plain terms; it's a trust signal and it sets expectations about what's covered.
LegalZoom's pet sitting agreement template is a useful reference for structure, and Global Pet Sitter's contract guide walks through liability wording in plain language. Neither replaces a local attorney review — but both beat a blank page.
The contract is also a client-experience document
Presented well, a contract makes you look more professional, not more bureaucratic. Walk through it at the meet and greet, explain the "why" behind each clause, and let the client keep a copy. The emergency authorization and spending cap sections, in particular, show a client you've thought about the bad day so they don't have to.
Keep the care instructions attached
A contract covers the business relationship; the care instructions cover the pet. Feeding amounts, medications, walk routines, hiding spots, and your vet's details belong in a document the sitter can pull up mid-visit — not in a text thread from three months ago. AAHA's pet sitter instructions guide covers what that sheet should include.
With PetAmigo, the care instructions live on the pet's profile, so every sitter you invite sees the current version — and visit logs write themselves as you check off treatments. The contract gets signed once; the instructions stay useful forever.